Coronavirus: Drug shown to help in treatment of disease to be distributed across Ohio

COLUMBUS — UPDATE @ 9:45 p.m.: Remdesivir, the drug found in clinical trials to shorten the duration of disease from the coronarvirus, will be shipped out to the Dayton region on Thursday, a spokeswoman with the Ohio Department of Health said.

The state has been divided into eight zones for the purposes of the distribution, and the Dayton region is in zone 3 (see map with this report).

The drug will be shipped out Thursday, the spokeswoman, Melanie Amato, said. Choosing the patients is up to the hospital staff when they receive the vials.

INITIAL REPORT

Remdesivir, the drug that in clinical trials has been found to shorten the duration of disease from the coronarvirus, is to be distributed throughout Ohio by the Ohio Department of Health and Ohio Hospital Association.

“This is not a cure, but early signs indicate that it can help in the treatment of COVID-19,” said Amy Acton, M.D., Ohio Department of Health director. “Ohio’s allocation is not enough to treat all patients, so we are working with medical experts to ensure distribution is based on clinical best practices.”

Ohio’s allotment of remdesivir - 20 cases estimated for about 100 patients -- was received from the federal government Tuesday (May 12).

The Food and Drug Administration has issued an Emergency Use Authorization for remdesivir to allow it to be administered to patients. It is currently being studied in treatment of COVID-19 in clinical trials and has been found to shorten the duration of disease from 15 to 11 days in patients being treated in-patient hospital settings.

How to distribute the drug was decided by the clinical leaders of the geographic zones that were created to help Ohio with this pandemic response decided how to distribute the drug. (link to map) The decision makers within each zone consisted of clinicians, pharmacists, public health officials, policymakers, ethicists and other health disciplines that helped with the allocation amount to specific hospitals. The decision was based on the percentage of mechanically ventilated patients; which deems them to have the highest severity level.

“Ohio hospitals are committed to providing care and services to ensure the health and safety of our communities,” said Mike Abrams, president and CEO, Ohio Hospital Association. “We appreciate the efforts of our policymakers and state leaders to secure resources and treatment to help in the delivery of care for patients impacted by COVID-19.”

Remdesivir is administered intravenously and in two courses depending on the severity of disease. Patients will receive either a 5-day (6-dose) course or a 10-day (11-dose) course, as clinically indicated.

Individual hospitals will be responsible for using clinical justification on distribution of the medication to specific patients. Whenever, the number of patients in need of remdesivir exceeds the supply of the medication, hospitals will use internal processes appropriate for the allocation of scarce resources.

Remdesivir is an investigational medication. While clinical trials indicate that the use of remdesivir has shortened the recovery time for some coronavirus patients, it has not yet been approved by the FDA as a treatment for COVID-19.

The Emergency Use Authorization and use of remdesivir for the treatment of COVID-19 is only due to the nature of the pandemic, the impact it has had on the population, and the fact that there is no adequate, approved, and available alternative to the emergency use of remdesivir for the treatment of COVID-19, the Ohio Hospital Association said.

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